I find Gather amusing. Most of the time.
My opinions of the site and my thoughts about its usefulness as a tool have morphed greatly over the past year and a half. At first, it was just a place to get gift cards. Woo hoo, Barnes and Noble (remember when they had BN instead of Borders? Those were the days), here I come! Semi-free (because dude, it's NOT free if you have to spend time on it) Thomas trains! Books! Yay!
Then I made a few 'friends' here. I like to make proper use of terms, so I could just use 'friends' loosely, but I'd rather just use quotes instead. I really like some of the folks I've met here. Funny, interesting, there are lots of adjectives to describe them. Fun people, all in all. So I stuck around.
I was gone for a few months at the end of 2007 for personal reasons, and when I returned, I looked at the site with fresh eyes, and something started to bother me in a big way. I realized I was seeing more and more of the 'check your points here' and 'help me meet this point goal'-style articles. I don't mind seeing them on occasion, but I'm talkin' 10 or 12 of them per day. I like the cash as much as anyone, but isn't that overkill?
Isn't it also overkill to send message after message to your connections begging them to comment on your stuff so you can meet X goal? You may promise to comment back to everyone who 'helps' you, but the sad fact of that matter is that almost every time I've fallen prey to one of these ploys, the beggar has never commented me back. And that leaves me to wonder why I bothered wasting time on their fuzzed-out pictures of goodness knows what while I put someone else's well thought out article or technically perfect photo on the back burner.
Sure, I can make my own choices. I like a frivolous game now and then. Pointlessness has its place at times. And I DO like earning cash, of course. But I don't like mass mails sent with the sole purpose of driving attention to the sender (unless s/he is advertising a really good photo or article, of course). And yes, it annoys me if you say you'll comment back and then don't follow through. We all get busy, but if you have time to post 1,000 photos of yourself with your dog in close succession, you have the time to return comments to those who try to help you out.
I guess that's it!
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Comments: 71
Thats why I liked the group pwotw.. We all paid real close attnetion to each others articles..
I dont really go there now because I have so many people to keep up with cause I have many people who comment my things now and its a chore keeping up!
Yes I feel ya on them you help me I help you... Theres been a few times I paid attnetion to all their stuff and hardly ever seen a comment back.. so I just laid back and went elsewhere..
I like to really read articles and look at pics so I dont like the quick commenting and rating and movign thing so much.. somtimes is ok but not much!
I never make promises here I can't keep.
I have only mass emailed once (this week) and may never do so again. Who knows?
After all, I don't expect anyone to do more for me than I can for them. :-)
Thanks for the article.. it was definitely a wake-up call..
Now.. go on my page and comment back.. I could use the points.. hahah.. just kidding!
I'm still sorting it out.
I thought I would try this and see if it would help generate some interest in my own stuff. I refuse to do the mass mailing thing. It was driving me a little nuts... I'd comment comment and comment away and I just wasn't getting anything in return.
I'm not sure how the 3 for 1 will work out in the long run... it's somewhat disheartening to have over 200 connections and be lucky to see 5 comments (two typically being my husband and sister-in-law!).
I remember Barnes & Noble, tho I wasn't a real PW then and never begged. It showed too cause I think I only cashed in for two $10 GCs in that time period.
I'll just stick with the people who do read and look at what I post, and who I do visit the content of most of the time. I'll also personally (not mass) email with those people as well.
And speaking of your little hiatus, how are you doing now?
I'll also admit to begging for votes in the Barry Manilow contest. But I AM the biggest Barry Manilow fan in the world, so I didn't feel guilty about it.
Now, on to Marianne's question, how are you?
Marianne and Amanda... I'm ok. I've been thinking of posting to the mostly-defunct PW group to give an update. Just haven't gotten around to it yet!
I block everybody who sends me a mass mailing or a beg-a-whine message, and I do *not* look at the article/pic.
I never join groups that allow anything to be posted, and have a strong preference for belonging to moderated groups where the trash offerings never gets published.
I recently started a group called Tertulia Madrid for communicating in and learning Spanish, and in the short description made it clear that articles in English or photos with titles in English will not be accepted. Apparently nobody bothers to read. I have rejected more postings than I've accepted because they are in English. I'm now meditating the benefits of deleting group members after the 5th violation (thus wasting my moderator time) in a row.
I never join or even pay attention to groups whose titles are clearly about getting points.
I think 98% of the games are stupid and wish they never got posted to groups with other content I enjoy. I wish there were a way to block getting Gather group-generated email about anything with the word "game" in the title. I'd also like to block getting group mail from individuals whose articles are consistently trash or who can't be bothered to proofread their text and clean up spelling, grammar and other mechanics.
If there is a spelling error (including those annoying wring apostrophes) in the title, I delete the Gather group-generated notification without even looking at the article. If you don't have the time and respect for others to lear how to write plurals correctly, I don't have the time and respect for you to read your verbal diarrhea.
I look at photos meant to be artistic, such as landscapes or still lifes, or instructive, such as those that depict recipe ingredients steps and finished dishes, but have not time for you and your dog types. Annoy me with enough notices about such junk and I may be seriously tempted to join the ranks of the db1 raters.
It's too bad the Gather algorithm does not award points on the basis of the quality of the content. However, thatrequires individual human attention, which would spend more potential point money on salaries of properly trained judges of writing content. Such people exist but are expensive.
Thanks for your rant.
Rachel, I hope you take it to heart and stop the offensive behavior.
Sherry, aren't you a bzz agent also? lol! I think you should write the update article. I'm curious to know how you're doing.
What an offensive thing to say Dorine. No wonder no one is interested in much you have to say or post.
I've seen similar waves with their other various marketing campaigns like the political debate ads on cable networks, the first chapters contests, and now the music contests. Each one of these campaigns brings a certain group of people to Gather and Gather changes as a result. That is the way to build a diverse membership of all types of people. Not to mention, it's a decent business expansion model.
I just Gather in an unorganized catch-as-catch-can way and it works for me.
(I think)
Well, I also have to say something about the bzz comment - I would not be here with out bzz. We were invited to Gather, we did not invade. Most of the individuals who are still bzz agents contrribute more than just bzz to Gather. I moderate some of the largest and focused groups on Gather. I review books for Gather, publishers, and Authors, contribute movies and other misc. activities in my life. It sure sounds like this individual needs to take a look to see what other contributions the original bzz agents have brought to Gather.
She just can't seem to help herself.
I do like the games now and then, and do have fun with the points, as I have a daughter who could read a library's worth of books in no time, but I just can't do the mass mailing thing... as much as it annoys me, I don't want to annoy everyone else.
1) they say, "gee this person gets points for giving me points by checking out my stuff, why should they care if I don't return the favor? They already got points just by basking in my wonderful, grammatically errored, unspellchecked articles!"
2) they say, "I have so many connections reading me that I can't possibly afford to actually pay attention to this connection, I just want more traffic to get points."
3) they are well-meaning but we Gather at different times
4) I'm just a whiny person who needs to quit Gathering...
I could go on, I guess... I'm really tired and it's been a long day. But... as long as it isn't raining my basement doesn't smell like a fire anymore...
Dorine Houston, Mar 14, 2008, 5:37pm EDT
I agree completely! Although, I would consider quality to be in the eye of the beholder.
Have you been rooting around in my head again? I've told you how much that tickles!
I doth do-eth hereby byeth repeat all thatath hath been saidath inath thisath
proc-low math-tionath speecheth type thingy.
yaya
There have been a couple of connections along the way, that I notice they NEVER comment on anything of mine or alot of other people. They are posting a billion articles a day though. That is a little irritating. But I guess to each his own.
take care... Blessings to you...
Girly Comments & Graphics
Playing mindless games is a choice...and if you have a connection who only posts games, that problem is solved with one click.
Mass emails are easy enough to block.
I like writing photo essays, but I've been very stressed at work of late, and that doesn't make me want to go home and write more. So, my content has been less than stellar of late. I guess if my connections don't like it, they will disconnect. I would be sad to lose many of them...some, I would never notice.
I block a lot of the people who send the mass e-mails....
I have sent my articles out in email maybe 3 times and that was because it was near and dear to my heart and had a very important cause attached to it.
Otherwise I hate the mass mails.
Good article!
I bumbled around, using a lot of different approaches, trying to get people to notice me, until one day when, ironically, I sent out a mass email asking people to take a look at a page of photos I'd posted from our trip to Scotland. I think I did it wrong the first time and sent a second one with the corrected link. Several kind people took a look and praised my work. For me, it was the thing that finally seemed to break the ice. I've not done it again (I don't think) except when I started Rainbow Connections - Colorful Competitions.
My first point --- be nice to the newcomers. They see people doing things and don't realize they're offensive. It takes awhile to learn the ropes, break in. We were all new once.
My second point: Some of the worst spellers and worst offenders when it comes to grammar are some of the kindest, most generous, most caring, most talented, most creatively endowed individuals here. I'm sure the opposite also holds true in some cases. While these things do bother me on some level, none of us are perfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Our diversity makes us rich. Do not judge people for their deficiencies, but accept them for who they are and the gifts they've been blessed with.
Enough said. I come to Gather to relax and have fun. Off to do just that.
Thanks for your article!